After the release of the Samsung Galaxy S4 two weeks ago in the United Kingdom, Europe, and some areas of the United States - without distribution problems, we are now beginning to see the full proliferation of "phablet" (smartphone screen size of 5 inches and greater) devices. Rewind just over 18 months ago, to the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note I, the device type was considered a freak, a one off phenomenon that no other mobile OEM would consider releasing. At best, the gigantic smartphone was a niche product that would only be popular with a small number of people. It is anticipated that most of the top mobile OEMs, except Apple, will have a phablet device available in their smartphone portfolio this year. ABI Research projects more than 150 million phablets will be shipped in 2013.

Operators and Content Providers should work together and bring two-sided business models to market.  This will increase the overall allocation of resources to the most profitable use.   

In March 2013, Vietnam's large telecom company, CMC Telecom, and cable TV service provider, VTCV, announced plans to provide cable broadband service in Vietnam starting from August 2013.

Press accounts provide drama on the power struggle between Verizon and Vodafone over the fate of their JV money printing machine, Verizon Wireless.   Negotiations must be underway in the smoke filled back rooms, but it is exciting to have the “leaks” in the industry press provide the melodrama.  It will be fun to watch how this plays.

The growth of cloud-based offerings for mobile devices and PCs is leading to the convergence of a single security product. A number of vendors are in fact moving towards this strategy: development of cloud and mobile functionalities for future integration into one multi-device offering.

On April 26, ALU discussed Q1 2013 results.  Although there were no comments about the reforms they will make (promised in June), what they did say and did not say may give us a hint of things to come. 

One of Europe’s biggest cyber security conferences, Infosecurity Europe 2013 has been making waves over the past two days and is rounding-up today. The exhibition floor was packed and eventful, indicative of a flourishing IT security market. There is no denying that cyber security has gained visibility in the past few years, with high-profile hacking and cyber-espionage repeatedly making the news. This is a boon for security vendors, and has prompted a growth in offerings targeting all the newest IT trends, including cloud-based services and mobile devices, apps and networks. These developments are not the only drivers of the security market; there is growing concern about data security, compliance and upcoming regulation resulting from national and regional cyber security strategies.

Intel continues their advance into SDN with the release of reference designs for both a server and a switch to promote rapid ecosystem development for SDN/NFV.

The Chamber of Deputies of Mexico recently passed a bill proposed by the President to overhaul the telecommunication industry. Some major initiatives are as follows:

As we like to do, a group of analysts here at ABI Research have been discussing the potential implications of Facebook Home.  As someone focused on all things relating to Security & ID, I was asked whether having an always on, top-of-the-page, news stream and updates from friends, family and those others that you have "liked"easily visible without unlocking a smartphone or tablet.